Ryan Field (1926)

Ryan Field was a football stadium in the central United States, located in Evanston, Illinois, a suburb north of Chicago near the campus of Northwestern University. The stadium served as the home field of the Northwestern Wildcats of the Big Ten Conference. The stadium opened in 1926 as Dyche Stadium, named for William Dyche, class of 1882, Evanston mayor from 1895 to 1899 and overseer of the building project. The stadium was renamed Ryan Field in 1997 in honor of the family of Aon Corporation founder Patrick G. Ryan, who was then the chairman of Northwestern's board of trustees. The renaming was made by the other members of the board in recognition of the Ryan family's leadership and numerous contributions to Northwestern, including the lead gift to the Campaign for Athletic Excellence, Northwestern's fundraising drive for athletic facilities. Before the stadium's demolition in 2024, it was the only FBS stadium without permanent lighting, and its final seating capacity was 47,130. The stadium closed at the end of the 2023 season, and preparation for demolition began on January 29, 2024, to make way for a new Ryan Field on the site. On June 3, 2024, demolition was completed, putting a temporary pause on 97 years of Northwestern football at the site.